Acetylene-gas generator.



PATENTED MAY 23, 1905.

C. W. BECK.

ACETYLENB GAS GENERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 15. 1901. RENEWED 001a, 1904.

5 NTED STATES Patented May 23, 1905'.

PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES W. BECK. OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO ELECTROLITE GAS LAMP COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ACETYLENE-GlAS GENERATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 790,869, dated. May 23, 1905.

Original application filed November 23, 1900. Serial No. 37,550. Divided and this application filed February 15, 1901. Renewed October 6. 1904. Serial No. 227.442.

To all whom/ zit may concern.-

Be it known that I, CIIARLEs W. BECK, of New York, county of New York, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Acetylene-Generators, of which the-following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in acetylene-generators, and refers more specifically to improvements in that type of generators wherein pulverulent carbid is fed in regulated quantities to a body of Water, the rate of feed being automatically governed and determined by the rate of consumption of the gas generated. 7

Among the salient objects of the invention are to provide a feed mechanism which in operation tends to keep itself clean and free from becoming encrusted with residue; to provide afeed mechanism the operative parts of which are so protected and inclosed as to render it extremely free from liability of clogging in operation, while at the same time the moving parts are relieved from the greater part of the friction due to the weight of carbid tending to crowd into the feed mechanism; to provide a two-part feed mechanism consisting of an open-ended tubular member and a device coacting therewith to close said tubular member to stop the feed of carbid;

to provide a construction wherein the carbid is fed through a tubular member having inletports alternately carried into and out of register with the discharge-passage of the carbida portable lamp provided with a preferred embodiment of my invention.

Referring to the drawing, the invention is shown as embodied in a portable vehiclelamp; but it is to be understood that while the invention is peculiarly well adapted for a generator of this type yet many of the features thereof, and, in fact, most of them, are equally well adapted for embodimentin other types of generators.

In said drawing, 1 designates as a whole a lower liquid font or chamber, 2 an elevated carbid-hopper, and 3 a reduced connectingpassage uniting the hopper and associated parts with the upper part of the font or liquid-reservoir, said reduced portion forming a chamber 4, within which are arranged parts of the feed mechanism and through which the carbid is fed from the hopper to the generating-chamber or reservoir.

The lower body 1 may be of any preferred and suitable construction adapted to contain a suitable supply of liquid into which the ,pulverulent carbid is dropped by the feed mechanism, and likewise the upper member or hopper 2 may be of any suitable form and preferably provided with a converging-or hopper-shaped lower end wall 5, which directs the carbid to the feed-opening 6 in the bottom thereof.

In the preferred construction shown herein the cylindric contracted portion 3 is permanently attached to the lower part of the carbid-hopper concentrically with the feed-aperture thereof and is detachably connected with the upper portion of the reservoir or generating-chamber conveniently by being provided with an externally-threaded lower end portion 7, which is constructed to engage a correspondingly-threaded tubular portion 9 of a casting 8, forming the uppermost portion of said generating-chamber. Said casting 8 conveniently and as herein shown is provided with an internal annular shoulder 10 immediately below the internally-threaded portion thereof, upon which is arranged to rest a packing-ring 11, against which the lower end of the threaded part 7 impinges to form a gas-tight joint.

14: designates as a whole a hollow valve-rod or feed-plunger arranged to reciprocate vertically through the aperture 6 of the hopper, said plunger preferably consisting of a hollow cylindric tube-like body open at its lower end and united at its upper end with an operating-stem 15 by means of a pair of arms 15', the openings into the upper end of the plunger between said connecting-arms forming valve-ports for the entrance of the carbid to the plunger.

16 designates a cylindric housing or sleeve connected at the upper end with the top wall 17 of the hopper or with other suitable support and arranged to depend thence downwardly, so as to inclose the feed-stem and upper end portion of the feed-plunger when the latter is in elevated position, said housing 16 being made of an internal diameter somewhat greater than the external diameter of the feedplunger, so as to afford a free working annular space 18 between said parts and terminating at its lower end at a sufficient distance above the lower end of the hopper or feedaperture to permit the pulverulent carbid to flow freely downwardly past said lower end and through the feed-aperture when the plunger is in lowered posit-ion, so as to permit such feeding operation. The housing 16 forms a part of the two-part feed mechanism and serves to close the parts in the tubular feed plunger when the latter is raised by the inflation of the gas-bag. The feed-plunger 1 1 is arranged to work through a yielding diaphragm or gasket member 19, consisting of a soft-rubber ring having its inner margin, which rubs against the exterior of the feedplunger, made relatively thin or brought to a blunt knife-edge, so as to create as little frictional resistance as practicable and mounted within a cup-shaped casing 20 upon the lower end of the carbid-hopper. In order that the ring may be compressed so as to reduce the diameterof its opening from time to time as it is worn away by the plunger, the casing 20 is provided with a lower end cap-ring 21, threaded thereon and having a portion 22, which underlies the lower surface of the ring and is adapted to compress the latter within its housing as the ring is screwed farther upon the housing.

The feed-plunger is operated through the medium of an expansible and collapsible gasholder, designated as a whole 23 and located in the upper part of the hopper member above the partition 17 therein. Conveniently and as shown herein said gas-holder comprises an inner rigid 'ring 2 1, mounted upon and secured to thev partition 17, and a collapsible inverted-cup-shaped sheet-rubber member 25, having its lower margin secured to the exterior of the ring 2 1 by means of an outer clamping-ring 26, such a construction enabling the upper side of the gas-holder orbag to descend or to collapse until it rests in contact with the bottom 'wall of the holder formed by the partition 17. Upon the upper side of the gasholder is mounted a flat disk or rigid member 27, (forming in the present instance the bottom wall of a reducing-valve,) and with the center of this rigid disk 27 is connected the upper end of the stem of the feed-plunger. This connection is conveniently formed by means of a nut 28. externally threaded to en gage a corrcspondingly-threaded aperture in the lower side of the reducing-valve and provided with a radiaLfiange 29, which serves to clamp the margins of the aperture in the rubber bag through which said nut is inserted against the superposed disk, so as to form a gas-tight union, said nut being provided with a central aperture, threaded to receive the upper end of the feed-plunger stem, as indicated at 30.

The gas-holder is deflated and the connected feed-plunger caused to descend into feeding position by the action of aspring thereon, said spring consisting in the present instance of a coiled contractile spring 31, mounted upon the plunger-stem and having its upper end suitably connected with a nut or ring 32 upon the upper end of said stem and having its lower end connected with a relatively fixed collar 33, mounted in the lower end of the tubular housing 16 and held against upward movement therein by means of a ledge or flange 34 upon the inner wall of the housing, with which a radially-extending portion or flange 35 of said collar engages. The length of the feed-plunger and its relation to the gasholder with which it is connected are such that as the upper side of the gas-holder approaches the lower limit of its movement c'. 0., when it is nearly deflated the upper end of the hollow feed-plunger is brought below the lower end of the tubular housing 16, and the carbid flows from the hopper into the hollow plunger and through the same.

A headlight (designated as a whole 36) is provided, which may be of any suitable or preferred construction, that shown herein consisting of an ordinary conical or bell-shaped chamber provided at its rear end with a suitable reflector and closed at its outer flaring end upwardly within the headlight-chamber and terminating in a suitable burner-tip 4: 1. The upper side of the headlight is provided with a suitable hood or chimney 45, which may be of any desired construction.

In order to provide for the passage of the gas from the generating-chamber to the burner, a tube 46 is arranged to extend through the bottom wall of the hopper into the chamber 4, rising atits upper end to a point within and near the upper wall of the hopper. VVithin the upper part of the hopper the gas is brought into contact or intimate relation with the body of carbid therein and is thus very effectually dried. From the upper part of the hopper the gas passes into the tubular housing 16 through apertures 47 and then upwardly through said housing into the gasholder, passing from the latter into the hollow stem 15 of the feed-plunger through suitable apertures 48 and thence into the reducingvalve through a valve-controlled passage 49, which communicates with the reducing-valve, (designated as a whole 50.) Said reducingvalve is provided with a fiat disk-shaped bottom which rests upon the upper side of the expansible gas-holder and with which the upper end of the stem of the feed-plunger is connected, as hereinbefore described. The interior of the reducing-valve body is divided by a flexible diaphragm 51, as usual, with the center of which is connected the stem of the valve 52, which controls the passage 49, hereinbefore referred to. The. upper side of the valve 50 is provided with a stem 53, which extends out through an unthreaded opening in the top casing of the generator, said stem being threaded and provided with a nut 54, which may be adjusted downwardly upon the stem to hold the reducing-valve, and through its eonnnection with the reducing-valve the feed-plunger, locked in uplifted position or adjusted upwardly into the position shown in the drawing, so as to permit the free reciprocation of the feed-plunger. From the lower chamber of the reducing-valve the gas passes out through a flexible tube or pipe 55, which is connected with the pipe 42, which leads downwardly to and communicates with the passage 41 of the headlight, as hereinbefore described.

The operation of the generator constructed as described will be obvious from the foregoing description, but may be briefly described as follows: Assuming that the generatingchamber and carbid-hopper, respectively, are supplied with suitable charges of liquid and pulverulent carbid, the generator may be brought into operation by simply moving the confining-nut 54 upwardly upon its stem, so as to release the feed-plunger and permit the latter to be forced downwardly by means of the expansion-spring. whereupon as soon as the inlet-ports of the plungerdescend below the housing 16 the carbid will begin to flow into and through the plunger to the generating-chamber. When sufficient carbid has been dropped through the plunger to generate a volume of gas sufficient to inflate the gasholder, the plunger will obviously be raised far enough to interrupt the flow of carbid therethrough, and vice versa. When enough gas has been consumed to deflate the holder sufficiently to lower the feed-plunger into feeding position, the carbid will again flow and generate more gas, and these operations will be repeated automatically as long as the consumption of gas continues.

While it is true that the hollow plunger forms no check to prevent the flow of gas (which will obviously be more or less moist) upwardly through the plunger, yet this gas will not reach the body of carbid within the hopper except through the very narrow'annular space between the exterior of the plunger and interior of surrounding sleeve and through the gas-ports in said sleeve above the upper surface of the carbid. As to that portion of gas which reaches the carbid through the annular space surrounding the plunger the amount of carbid thus exposed is insignificant, and, furthermore, whatever carbid is thus acted upon will be the very first to be dropped in the next succeeding operation, so that there is no possibility of any considerable body of carbid becoming slaked and caked, so as to prevent free operation of the feed mechanism. Moreover, whatever particles of carbid adhere to the exterior of the plunger by reason of this slight slaking action within 5 this anuular space will be immediately rubbed off by the frictional engagement of the rubber ring 19 as the plunger descends, so that the feed mechanism will be kept entirely free and to all practical intents the gas will be excluded from the hopper except as it is admitted to the upper part of the hopper intentionally and for the purpose of drying it before it is admitted to the gas-holder. It is to be further noted that the engagement of the upper end of the plunger with the fixed ring or nut 33 serves to positively arrest the upward movement of the plunger before the latter rises far enough to carry its lower end above the rubber diaphragm-ring 19. By reason of the peculiar construction of the hollow plunger it will be seen that a relatively large and free feed-opening is provided for the escape of the carbid when the plunger is lowered, notwithstanding the operative parts of said feed mechanism are relatively small, and this is a feature of the utmost importance in a generator of this character, for the reason that it is extremely difficult to secure uniform feeding of the pulverulent carbid unless such free escape be provided.

While I have herein throughout the description referred to that member which controls the flow of carbid from the hopper to the generating-chamber as a feed-plunger, it will be obvious that it constitutes, in effect, a-valve member and is thus referred to in the broader claims on this feature. It will be obvious that this feature of the invention in particular is capable of wide application &

and is not in any sense limited to a generator of the portable type or of the type herein set forth; but, on the contrary, it is capable of adaptation to any generator wherein pulverulent carbid is fed to a saturating-chamber. I do not, therefore, wish to be limited to the details of construction set forth herein except as the same are made the subject of specific claims.

' I claim as my invention 1. In a carbid-feed mechanism, the combination with a carbid-receptacle provided with a feed-aperture, of an open-ended tubular feedplunger or valve member working through said feed-aperture and adapted to control the flow of carbid from the receptacle through the tubular plunger, whereby when the plunger is depressed carbid will flow into its upper end.

2. In a carbid-feed mechanism, the combination with a carbid-receptacle provided with a feed-aperture, of a tubular feed-plunger or valve member working through said aperture, and a relatively fixed member within the hopper arranged to close the inlet end of the plunger to arrest the flow of'carbid therethrough.

3. In a carbid-feed mechanism, the combination with a carbid-receptacle provided with a feed-aperture, of a vertically-arranged tubular feed-plunger or valve member working through said aperture, and a relatively fixed tubular housing arranged to inclose the upper end of the feed-plunger when the latter is elevated.

4:. In a carbid-feed mechanism, the combination with a carbid-receptacle provided with a feed-aperture, of a vertically-arranged tubular feed-plunger or valve member working through said aperture, and a relatively fixed tubular housing of larger internal diameter than the external diameter of the upper end of the feed-plunger, and arranged to telescope over a substantial portion of the length of said plunger when the latter is elevated, whereby the inlet end of the plunger remains closed throughout a substantial portion of its movement.

5. In a carbid-feed mechanism, the combination with a carbid-receptacle, provided with a feed-aperture, of a tubular feed-plunger or valve member working through said aperture, means cooperating with the upper end of the feed-plunger to control the flow of carbid therethrough, and a gasket provided with a yielding interior through which said feedplunger operates and whereby its exterior is wiped.

6. In a carbid-feed mechanism, the combination with a carbid-receptacle provided with a feed-aperture, of a tubular feed-plunger or valve member working through said feedaperture, having an exterior portion of extended length of uniform cross-sectional area, a tubular housing supported above said valve member with its lower end arranged to telescope over the upper portion of the plunger when the latter is in elevated position, a relatively fixed gasket-ring surrounding said feedplunger located at a substantial distance below the lower end of said housing and having frictional engagement with the exterior of said plunger, and mechanism operating automatically by the pressure of gas generated to reciprocate said plunger.

7. In acarbid-feed acetylene-generator, the combination with a lower saturating-chamber, an upper carbid-hopper provided in its bottom wall with a feed-passage arranged to discharge into said saturating-chamber, of means for antomatically controlling the flow of carbid from the hopper to the saturating-chamber, comprising a tubular feed-plunger or valve member working through said. feed-passage,a tubular housing arranged concentrically with the feed-plunger within the hopper and having its lower end arranged to telescope over the upper end of the feed-plunger when the latter is in elevated position, an operating-stem connecting with the said feed-plunger and extending up through said tubular housing, an expansible and collapsible gas-holder operatively connected with the upper part of said operating-stem whereby the inflation and deflation of said gas-holder actuates the feedplunger, a spring arranged to act upon said gas-holder to deflate the latter, and a yield able gasket surrounding the lower part of the feed-plunger and frictionally engaging its exterior, as and for the purpose set forth.

8. In a carbid-feed acetylene-generator, the combination with a lower saturating-chamber, an upper carbid-hopper provided in its bottom wall with a feed-passage arranged to discharge into said saturating-chamber, of means for automatically controlling the flow of carbid from the hopper to the saturating-chamber, comprising a tubular feed-plunger or valve member working through said feed-passage, a tubular housing arranged concentrically with the feed-plunger within the hopper and having its lower end arranged to telescope over the upper end of the feed-plunger when the latter is in elevated position, an operating-stem connecting with the said feed-plunger and extending up through said tubular housing, an expansible and collapsible gas-holder operatively connected with the upper part of said operating-stem whereby the inflation and deflation of said gas-holder actuates the feedplunger, a spring arranged to act upon said gas-holder to deflate the latter, and a yieldable gasket surrounding the lower part of the feed-plunger and frictionally engaging its eX- terior, and means for locking said feed mechanism in closed position.

9. In an apparatus for generating acetylene gas, a feed mechanism having, in combination, a carbid-holder provided with a dischargeopening, and a hollow open-ended valve-rod passing through said opening provided with one or more ports to register therewith, substantially as described.

10. In a carbid-feed mechanism, the combination with a carbid-receptacle provided with a feed-aperture, of an open-ended tubular feedplunger or valve member working through said feed-aperture, means cooperating with the upper end of the feed-plunger to control the flow of carbid therethrough.

11. In a generator for producing acetylene gas, the combination with a lower saturatingchamber, an upper carbid-chamber provided with a feed-aperture in its bottom wall, an open-ended tubular feed-plunger working through said feed-aperture, means cooperating with the upper end of the feed-plunger to control the How of carbid therethrough and means operated by pressure of the gas generated for moving the plunger.

12. In a carbid-feed mechanism the combination with a carbid-receptacle, of an openended tubular valve member through which carbid flows to the generating-chamber, and means cooperating with said tubular valve member to control the flow of carbid therethrough.

13. In a carbid-feed mechanism the combination with a carbid-receptacle, of an openended tubular valve member extending into the carbid-hopper above the bottom thereof and through which carbid flows to the generating-chamber, and means cooperating with said tubular valve member to control the flow of carbid therethrough.

14:- In a carbid-feed mechanism the combination with a carbid-receptacle provided with a feed-aperture, a tubular valve member work ing in said aperture, and means cooperating with one end of said tubular valve member to control the flow of carbid therethrough.

15. An acetylene-gas generator comprising a carbid-hopper, an expansible and collapsible gas-holder, a two-part feed mechanism consisting of a tubular valve member whose upper end extends into the carbid-holder through the bottom thereof and through which the carbid is fed, and a closure device for said tubular valve member, operative connections between one of the parts of the two-part feed mechanism and the gas-holder whereby when said holder is inflated the flow of carbid through the tubular valve member will be stopped.

16. In a carbid-feed mechanism the combination of a carbid-receptacle provided with a feed-aperture of a tubular feed-plunger or valve member working through said feed-aperture and provided with one or more ports to register therewith, and means cooperating with said feed-plunger to control the flow of carbid therethrough.

CHARLES WV. BECK.

Witnesses:

O. J. KINTNER, JAs. R. CRAWFORD. 

